Francis Gent
Francis Gent is the Boatswain of the Clenith and a major player in the flow of supplies to the civilian fleet. This includes dealings with the blackmarket and Criminal Underworld. Early Life Frank was born the first child to what would become a large Tauron family. They lived a rather poor life, but never to the point that they were starving or anything close to that. Life was hard but manageable. Frank was no angel growing up and got in trouble from time to time, either at school or with the neighborhood kids pulling pranks and other juvenile things. He never got very far in his schooling either and eventually dropped out to find work. After about a year or so, he found his way to a Fleet recruiter and was coerced/tricked into enlisting in ‘91 at the age of 17. Service Record Battlestar Columbia - 1992-96 By ’92, Frank was through his training and assigned to the Battlestar Columbia as a deckhand. He served a rather uneventful four years there. It was alright. The pay was fine, there was some limited adventure, and it was a way to escape school or having to be with his family nonstop (he had yet to really grow up). All the discipline and orders were a bit of a drag but Frank tolerated it. He always was a bit of a follower and he somewhat enjoyed the camaraderie of the service. Battlestar Atlantia - 1996-2002 He left Columbia in ’96 when he was transferred to the Atlantia. After about a year he was promoted to Petty Officer on the deck and got some real authority of his own. It all really began in ’98 with the arrival of MacPhelan, a Viper pilot who soon became the CAG of the ship. MacPhelan ran a… side business in addition to his normal duties. People had needs in the service. Sometimes people wanted items of higher quality than what the Fleet would provide, sometimes they wanted their items faster than the Fleet could get them, and sometimes they just wanted more than what the Fleet was willing to give. Of course in addition, people often wanted all sorts of contraband and controlled substances. MacPhelan facilitated whatever people needed whether their needs were legitimate or completely illegal. Frank was brought into the growing operation and served as one of the primary contacts on the deck: receiving shipments, hiding/”losing” items, and getting them to wherever MacPhelan wanted them. Things were great until they got caught in ’01. MacPhelan went down, but luckily Frank and most of the other lower men escaped without any detection. Kieren didn't rat them out and thus they were insulated from the damage and the follow-up investigation didn't turn anything up. Before the Fall Frank left the service in 2002. Their operation was long over and his previous lifestyle based on that supplemental income had caught up to him. He had many debts that a deckhand’s salary alone could not pay off so he left in search of more profitable work. He found it, or at least something close to it, aboard transport ships. He’d been trained to repair warplanes but his little adventure in the blackmarket had also trained him in how to handle goods, shipments, etc. Frank became a deckhand on a cargo ship before quickly proving himself and being promoted to Boatswain of the ship. In addition to his normal duties, he continued a bit of under-the-table smuggling on the side. Aboard the Fleet When the attack came, Frank was serving aboard the Clenith. The ship and a few others remained alone and a drift following the attack until eventually linking up with Hyperion after the Aquaria operation. For both the time before then and now since joining the larger Fleet, Frank began to operate as a “facilitator of needs” much like he had back on the Atlantia. He’s become a fairly large player when it comes to controlling the Fleet’s remaining commodities. Personality Despite his military service (or maybe evidenced by it), Frank cannot be described as honorable or selfless. He has a respect for rules and laws only so far as he believes they are justified and actually serve society. He has no hesitation breaking those he has no use for. Likewise he has a confused sense of loyalty that is rather randomly strongly tied to some while he’d throw others under the bus without hesitation. Thus he fluctuates from a liar and a cheat to a dependable and trustworthy person. It all depends on who you are the nature of your relationship to him. He’s not afraid to use violence but it is never his first choice. Although he might break your legs or return fire in a gun fight in order to escape, he absolutely detests killing. It’s just bad for business and tends to make things far far worse than they need to be. It also crosses the line into one of society’s rules that he actually agrees with, the prohibition on murdering other people. Frank’s fairly talkative and outgoing. Only when actually keeping quiet to hide does he feel that it’s inappropriate to speak or joke around. He’s generally confident, happy, and energetic. He’s a bit of a leader in his own right although his ambition is limited and keeps him from truly making the “big times”. Category:Characters Category:Civilian Category:Tauron Category:Criminal